WM. JOHNSTON by Wm. Johnston

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 25, 1867

WM. JOHNSTON

By Wm. Johnston

From Bro. Johnston.

BRO. SMITH: After a pleasant ride in the cars, I arrived safe at home from Conference, finding all my friends well, and anxious to know what kind of people I was among at Battle Creek. When I told them how you lived, dressed, and slept, (almost in the open air,) they wondered how you could stand it, and asked if you were not a poor, thin, sickly looking people. When informed that the very reverse was the case, some would reply, “Well, I think it would kill me!”

I stopped at Jackson with Bro. Palmer the first night after leaving B. C., and next morning took the cars in company with an advent sister also returning from the Conference. Two Congregational preachers who had been attending a Conference of their order somewhere in Michigan, occupied the seat just before us, and hearing this sister tell me how long she had been keeping the Sabbath, &c., the oldest of the two turned and asked her if she did not keep the Lord’s day? Oh, yes, said she, we keep the Lord’s day, that is, we keep the seventh day of the week, which is, according to the Scriptures, the Lord’s holy Sabbath or rest-day. Then a lively controversy commenced, and in a short time the old gentleman was completely silenced. The other now came to the rescue, and abruptly asked, “Do you believe in the divinity of Christ?” I now thought it was my turn to join in; so I replied, Why, yes sir. We believe that Christ is all divine; that in him dwelt “the fullness of the God-head bodily;” that he is “the brightness of the Father’s glory, the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power,” &c., &c. Ques. Then you must believe he made the Sabbath? Ans. Oh yes, he made, and is Lord of the Sabbath. Q. Then you must admit that the same power that made, has a right to alter or change, the day? A. Certainly; but did he do it? A. Yes, sir, he did do it. Q. When, how, and where? A. When he rose from the dead on the first day of the week. I suppose you will admit, he rose on the first day of the week? A. Yes, we will admit it, but you cannot prove that he did so; and even if he did rise from the dead on the first day, does that prove that it is the Sabbath? Surely, we think it does not? but if you will give us one passage of scripture which says that Christ’s resurrection changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, we will come over to your side of the question. He then went on to state how the disciples met for worship, and Christ met with them on the first day of the week; and how the fathers who were contemporary with the apostles, declared that the first day of the week was observed as the Sabbath ever after the resurrection, by the Christian church. I told him that we did not care a pin what the fathers said on the subject, so long as we had proof positive, that the grand-fathers, for at least thirty years met with the Jews and other devout persons to worship God and to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ,—life and salvation through his name to a dying world. Surely sir, if the Sabbath had been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week, the writer of the acts of the apostles would have known something about it, and told when and how the change took place.

We now changed the subject, and talked about the necessity of keeping the commandments of God, of living right, and of being prepared for the coming of our Lord. The younger one of the two, appeared to be softened down, and said he would think of these things, and try to meet us in our heavenly Father’s kingdom.

I thank you sincerely for your kindness to me; and I thank the dear brethren and sisters for their affectionate greetings whenever we met.

Yours truly.

WM. JOHNSTON

Wayne Co., Ohio.